The Ministry of Cultureafter the completion of the work of the three competent Committees (Committee for the State Prize for Writing a Play, Committee for the State Prize for Writing a Play for Children and Committee for the State Prize for Young Playwrights “Chrysa Spiliotis”), announces the State Prizes for Writing a Theatrical Work 2022.

In detail, the prizes are as follows:

  • National Playwriting Award

First prizeis awarded unanimously, jointly to the projects:

a) “Oi apokato” by Zetis (Georgia-Paraskevis) Fitsioswho submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Aliki Karnezou”.

b) “Terra Incognita” by Eleftheria Michaelidiswho submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Irini Angelidis”

According to the Commission’s reasoning, these are two plays characterized by original and interesting dramaturgy, clear handling of characters and imagination. Their subject matter is distinguished by originality and the human presence talks to contemporary issues.

The State Award for Theatrical Work of the year 2022 is accompanied by a cash prize seven thousand (7,000) euros.

In addition, the Commission awards Praise in four projects:

a) “The Valley of the Poppies” by Dimitrios Alexios, submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Vladimir Zeletin”,

b) “Tsi Lenis The Mile” by Styliani Haireti, submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Myrsini Zacharias”,

c) “Blood Demi” by Eleni Kostopoulou, submitted to the contest under the pseudonym “Dylan_Akulinos” and

d) “The Passage” by Anna Pitta, submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Somehow”.

The Commission singles out these four works, according to its rationale, for their merits and highlights the very important promises that these works and their authors hold for the future.

Also, the Committee unanimously proposes to the Ministry of Culture the immediate and permanent support of the text and the Greek language.

A total of 76 projects were submitted to the competition.

THE Commission made upi of:

Nikos Diamantisdirector, as chairman and the members:

Amalia Kontogiannisdramatist, dramaturgist and member of the Performance Evaluation and Review Committee of K.TH.BE,

Peggy Stathakopoulouactor,

Andreas Flourakisplaywright,

Betty Arvanitisactor.

  • State Prize for Writing a Play for Children

State Prize for Children’s Play for the year 2022 is unanimously awarded to the play, “My brother from the stars” by Aggeliki Darlasis, submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Anna Dimou”.

The rationale for the award:

It is a theatrical text with a modern and original theme which refers to the relationship between two sisters, a girl and a boy. It focuses with tenderness, sensitivity and, above all, with respect, on the way in which the girl tries to explore the special world of her brother, who is on the autism spectrum. Around this central dramatic condition is built a fast-paced play, external as well as internal action, which possesses morphological and dramaturgical virtues: the characters are solid and complete, the plot layered and consistent, the use of narration through the main character as communication tool with the children’s audience is balanced, the speech is modern, simple and layered while the techniques of distancing ensure the lack of melodramatism, The use of many audiovisual media in the performance of the world as perceived by an autistic child is also dramaturgically functional. It is of course a given that in the event of a presentation to the public, further research and dialogue with experts should precede the particularly sensitive topic of the presentation of individuals on the autism spectrum and the perception that others have of the way they perceive the world as it is for a subject that has so far hardly concerned the professional Greek children’s dramaturgy.

“My brother from the stars” is an original text with the potential to be performed which remains “open”, seeking its directorial mediation and emergence on the stage of the Theater for underage viewers and which can move, delight, but also trouble the young readers and viewers touching on themes such as the power of love, acceptance of diversity, empathy.

The award comes with a cash prize 5,000 euros.

Also, the Committee unanimously awards a Commendation to the work “Once upon a time in Hamelin” by Maria Hiou, submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Melissa”.

The reasoning of the Praise as follows:

The play is an attempt to dramatize the fairy tale “The Piper of Hamelin”, which was recorded and made famous by the Grimm brothers. It is a well-written text that has a great sense of economy in dramatic means (4 roles / one stage space). The theatrical form is well served to a large extent with vivid relationships of persons on stage lively dialogue, although in some places there is a lack of orality. The development of the story takes place through the dialogue parts mainly through the description (through the characters) of events that occur in other – outside the scene – spaces and times. A better and broader development could probably achieve this goal more fully, escaping from the “magical” world of the fairy tale and extending the ideological and value background to the present. It remains, however, a work with theatrical virtues in its development, with tenderness, sensitivity and respect towards the minor audience.

The Commission’s decision, in its entirety, is accompanied by the introductory/explanatory text which follows:

The Committee studied with particular attention the thirteen (13) projects submitted to the competition and points out the following:

The alarmingly low number of entries has been a point of intense concern and central to the Commission’s discussions as the competition appears to be on a downward trend in recent years. In addition, in the majority of the works it was observed the absence of a solid dramatic framework that favors and highlights dramatic situations, conflicts and characters, given in addition the lack of orality in speech, the deletion of sketchy characters, dramaturgical gaps and the lack of a clear goal. Also, the fact that there were plays with clear stereotypical, sexist and even nationalist references, which have no place in modern drama and, above all, in drama for children and young audiences, caused an impression. The Committee’s finding is that the Competition should target new creative forces that exist and are active today in the field of playwriting, encouraging engagement with writing for underage audiences.

Despite the reflection caused on multiple levels by the majority of the submitted works, the two that the Committee unanimously singled out and are recommended for the Prize and Commendation are extremely worthy theatrical ventures that can immediately take the road to the stage.

The Committee consists of: Takis Tzamargiadirector, actor, teacher, member of the Special Educational Staff (E.E.P.) of the E.K.P.A., as president and the members:

Maria Karananoudramatist, head of Publications and Bookstore-Sales of the National Theatre,

Maria Dimaki – ZoraAssistant Professor of Theatrology at the Pedagogical Department of Elementary Education of EKPA, with subject “Theatrology: Modern Greek Drama and Culture” and Advisor – Professor at EAP, in the graduate program “Creative Writing”,

Dimitra – Victoria Panagoutheater writer, set designer,

Eduardo – Dimitrio Georgiouscenographer, architect.

  • State Writing Award for Young Playwrights “Chrysa Spiliotis”

First prize is unanimously awarded to the work “Salty Letters” by Maria Psarologu, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Self Demons”.

According to the reasoning of the Commission, it is a theatrical text which, as a whole, gathers virtues that make it an even and interesting material for performance. It has a complete conception of the idea, on which the action is solidly structured and developed, with the expressive tools of the theatrical language clearly employed. He succeeds, through only two persons on stage and the relationship between them (as it escalates from image to image), to bring to life with genuine emotion an entire world that has passed – in its dominant features – irretrievably, drawing its plot from the past, but aiming at the emotion of the modern viewer. It constitutes, therefore dramaturgically, an artistic product suitable to be exploited in a fruitful way in a possible theatrical realization of it.

The 2022 State Writing Award for Young Playwrights “Chrysa Spiliotis” is accompanied by a cash prize 5,000 euros.

In total they submitted to the competition 26 projects.

The State Prize Committee for Young Playwrights consists of: Antonis Antonioudirector, actor, as president and members:

Leia Vitaliwriter’s play,

Leonidas Prousalidesplaywright,

Lilly Melemedirector, actor,

Georgios Voudiklaristheater and dance critic

The independent theater troupes that will include in their repertoire works that have been honored with a State Prize for Writing a Theatrical Work are subsidized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for uploading them, with the conditions that apply from time to time.